OAKLAND — Like the colorful tulips that bloom each spring, Mountain View Cemetery’s annual floral exhibition is a Bay Area tradition.
Launched in 2005 as a modest show of floral arrangements, the Tower Chapel Tulip Exhibition at Mountain View Cemetery has grown into a must-see display of floral artistry. It’s back for its 13th year March 23-25 at the sprawling cemetery at 5000 Piedmont Ave.
Taking its cue from the deYoung Museum’s annual “Bouquets to Art” exhibition in San Francisco, which pairs floral arrangements and fine art, the display at Mountain View Cemetery highlights the creativity of artists and designers who use flowers and other plant matter as raw material for their art. More than 25 arrangements will be shown this year and San Leandro-based florist Lyal Nickals will design the display in the grand entrance of the Tower Chapel, according to cemetery spokeswoman Kristie Ly.
In order to pay homage to the signature flowers workers plant each year, the cemetery requires that arrangements contain at least 20 percent tulips. Otherwise, invited participants are free to dream up their own themes and let their imaginations run wild.
“They come up with a design,” Ly said. “We just enjoy what they do.”
Exhibited works range from freestanding creations to tabletop arrangements. Artists are known to use recyclable material and may weave everything from trees and twigs to seaweed and shells into their work. Typical participants include floral businesses, local garden clubs and colleges.
As in years past, special floral arrangement demonstrations will be held each day at 2 p.m. This year’s participants include Agnes Kang, a floral designer with the Piedmont Garden Club, who will demonstrate on Friday; Merritt College Floral Design instructor Kay Wolff, who will speak on Saturday, and San Francisco City College Environmental Horticulture & Floristry Department instructor Steven Brown, who will give a demonstration on Sunday.
It all adds up to three days of bliss for flower lovers. According to Ly, many visitors come from the floral industry and some attend as part of local community center tours. Photographers dazzled by the visual feast have been known to set up their cameras and others come simply for the spring flowers.
The exhibition is free and visitors are encouraged to enjoy the tulips on the cemetery grounds.
For more information, visit www.mountainviewcemetery.org.